GB2517748A

GB2517748A - Cleaning device for studded footwear

Info

Publication number: GB2517748A
Application number: GB1315495.0A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Richard Jeffery; Alison Jeffery; Naval Mistry; Daksha Mistry
Original assignee: RANDHOM SOLUTIONS Ltd
Current assignee: RANDHOM SOLUTIONS Ltd
Priority date: 2013-08-30
Filing date: 2013-08-30
Publication date: 2015-03-04
Anticipated expiration: 2033-08-30
Also published as: GB2517748B; CN104414125A; GB201315495D0

Abstract

A cleaning device 10 for studded footwear, comprises a handle 12 and a cleaning head 14, the cleaning head 14 comprising a plurality of bristles 16, wherein the cleaning head (14) defines an opening 18 for receiving a stud, spike, cleat or blade of the studded footwear, and the bristles 16 taper downwardly from a rear portion of the cleaning head 14 towards a leading edge 24 of the cleaning head 14. The opening 18 is preferably in the leading edge 24 of the cleaning head 14, with the leading edge 24 preferably providing a scraping surface.

Description

Cleaning device for studded footwear The present invention relates to a cleaning device for studded footwear. The term "studded", as used herein, is intended to refer to studs, cleats, blades, spikes, or any other protrusions extending from the sole of a shoe, boot, or other footwear item. The terms "stud", "studs", or "studded" will be used to refer to all such footwear in the present

specification.

Studs are provided on the sole of footwear primarily to assist in gripping a surface, preventing sliding and assisting in rapid changes of direction. Studded footwear is typically worn in sports played on grass or other soft surfaces where the studs are able to project into the surface and improve the grip for the wearer. By their very nature the studs make the footwear more susceptible to the accumulation of mud, dirt and debris, and this can be time consuming and messy to clean. The presence of the studs on the sole of the footwear makes it difficult to access all regions of the sole for cleaning and can lead to some mud remaining on the sole after cleaning.

It is common for wearers to subject their footwear to running water in an attempt to clean any mud from the sole. However, this is messy and not particularly effective, and can been damaging to the footwear. Various shapes and sizes of brushes are also commonly used in the cleaning of studded footwear, but these suffer from a variety of problems. Wearers may also use a variety of implements to scrape mud and other debris from the sole. There is no single product which satisfactorily addresses all of the known problems, which include: mess on hands; no means for scraping stubborn mud; and difficulty in accessing areas around studs.

The TygerPaw TM manufactured by Tyger Products Ltd is a boot cleaning product, which sets out to address some of the problems identified above. The Tyger Paw consists of a cleaning head with a hand loop on a top surface, to retain the device on a user's hand, and a plurality of plastic nodules on the bottom surface. The nodules are of a variety of sizes, shapes and strengths, and are intended to assist with the removal of mud from the sole of studded footwear. The bottom surface of the device is flat and this, combined with the relatively large size of the cleaning head, makes it difficult to get the device into the areas around the studs. Furthermore, the device is not provided with any means for scraping mud from the sole.

The present invention sets out to overcome the limitations of the prior art products and cleaning methods, or at least to offer an alteinative to currently available products for removing mud and debris from studded footwear.

According to the present invention there is provided a cleaning device for studded footwear, comprising a handle and a cleaning head, the cleaning head comprising a plurality of bristles, wherein: the cleaning head defines an opening for receiving a stud of the studded footwear, and the bristles taper downwardly from a rear portion of the cleaning head towards a leading edge of the cleaning head.

A device according to the present invention offers significant benefits over currently available devices. A key benefit is that a stud is received within the opening of the cleaning head, such that the stud is surrounded by bristles. This enables a much closer clean than with conventional brushes, or other known devices, and makes the cleaning process quicker with less mess. The opening and bristles are arranged to glide around and over the stud to dislodge mud and debris in a simple brushing action. The device is simple to use and iesults in an efficient clean with minimal effort, thus making it a significant improvement over existing products and cleaning methods.

Reference to the bristles tapering "downwardly from a rear portion of the cleaning head towards a leading edge" refers to the fact that the bristles are longest at the rear of the cleaning head and their length gradually decreases towards the leading edge of the cleaning head This is due to the fact that the leading edge of the cleaning head will be in contact with the sole of the footwear during use of the device. When the cleaning head is held with the bristles in contact with a flat surface the cleaning head itself is angled upwardly from the leading edge to the rear portion of the cleaning head.

In an embodiment of the invention the opening is in the leading edge of the cleaning head.

This peirnits the cleaning head to slide ovei a stud, with the stud being ieceived within the opening and suirounded by bristles.

In an embodiment of the invention the leading edge is configuied to provide a sciaping surface. In an embodiment of the invention the leading edge is bevelled. In an embodiment of the invention the leading edge comprises a scraper element. This serves to loosen mud and debris before it is subjected to the brushing action and reduces total cleaning time. The scraping surface may be integral to the cleaning head, or it may be a separate element attached to the cleaning head. In an embodiment of the invention the device comprises two scraping surfaces in the leading edge, the scraping surfaces being arranged on each side of the opening.

In an embodiment of the invention the handle is elongate. In an embodiment of the invention the handle is angled upwardly away from the rear portion of the cleaning head, such that in use of the device the hand of the user is kept away from the surface being cleaned. An elongate handle ensures that a user's hand is kept away from the cleaning head during cleaning use and helps to reduce mess.

In an embodiment of the invention the handle is provided with a contoured region to improve grip. The contoured region may conveniently comprise a thumb grip on an upper surface and a finger hold on a lower surface. This serves to improve the feel of the device in a user's hand and improve grip during use.

In an embodiment of the invention the handle is provided with at least one stud tightener at an end remote from the cleaning head. This reduces the need to carry multiple tools in a bag, and means that it easier for a user to ensure that they have all of the necessary tools with them.

In an embodiment of the invention the handle and cleaning head are moulded as a single piece of plastics material. In an embodiment of the invention the handle and cleaning head are moulded as separate pieces.

In order to aid understanding the invention will now be described, without limitation, with reference to a specific embodiment of the of the device! in which: Fig. 1 shows a perspective view of a stud cleaning device according to the present invention; Fig. 2 shows a side view of the stud cleaning device of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 shows a plan view of the stud cleaning device of Fig. 1; and Fig. 4 shows a perspective view of the underside of the cleaning head of the stud cleaning device of Fig. 1.

Figs. 1-4 show a preferred embodiment of a stud cleaning device according to the present invention.

The cleaning device 10 comprises an elongate handle 12 and a cleaning head 14. The handle 12 and cleaning head 14 are moulded as a single piece of plastics material. Any suitably rugged and durable plastics material may be used to mould the handle 12 and cleaning head 14, but it is particularly preferred to mould them from ABS, polycarbonate, or other rugged and durable plastics material. Manufacturing the handle 12 and cleaning head 14 as a single piece improves the manufacturing process, thus enabling the device 10 to be competitively priced, and also enables the device 10 to be more rugged, as the cleaning head 14 is less likely to become detached from the handle 12.

The cleaning head 14 comprises an opening 18 for receiving a stud of the studded footwear. As can be seen best in Figs. 1 and 3, the opening 18 is generally U-shaped, and is defined by arms 20, 22, which project forwardly from the main portion of the cleaning head 14. The opening 18 is sized such that a standard stud, for example of the type commonly found on a football or rugby boot, can be received between the arms 20, 22.

Ideally the arms 20, 22 should closely profile the stud, but it is recognised that studs come in a variety of sizes and no standard stud size exists. However, it is also recognised that the diameter of most commonly available studs falls into the range 15-20mm, so a spacing of approximately 20mm between the arms 20, 22 should be able to accommodate most studded footwear. Clearly it would be possible to increase or decrease the spacing of the arms 20, 22 in further devices 10 if required for particular stud sizes! which may be currently available, or which may come along in the future with changes in boot design and technology.

The cleaning head 14 comprising a plurality of bristles 16 made from nylon, although any durable, hard wearing plastics material may be used. As can be best seen in Fig. 4, the bristles 16 are arranged over most of the underside of the cleaning head 14, extending from the rear of the cleaning head 14, adjacent the handle 12, to a leading edge 24 of the cleaning head 14, defined by the ends of the arms 20, 22. The bristles 16 are arranged such that they surround the opening 18.

As can best be seen in Fig. 2, the bristles 16 taper downwardly from the rear portion of the cleaning head 14 towards the leading edge 24 of the cleaning head 14. The maximum length of the bristles 16, which effectively determines the "clearance height" of the device, i.e. the maximum length of stud which the device 10 can accommodate for optimal cleaning, will typically be slightly longer than the longest stud with which the device is intended to be used. Studs typically have a length in the range of 15-20mm, although longer studs may be used for applications where the surface is particularly slippery. It has been noted that studs sometimes sit on a moulding on the sole, so the maximum length of the bristles 16 is approximately 24mm to accommodate this. As with the width of the opening 18, the length of the bristles 16 may vary between devices 10, depending on the types of studded footwear the device will be used to clean 10.

The leading edge 24 of the cleaning head 14 is defined by the ends of the arms 20, 22.

The leading edge 24 of the arms 20, 22 is bevelled to provide a scraping element, which may be used to dislodge mud and debris prior to brushing. The bevelled edges may be integrally moulded into the device 10, or they may be reinforced with additional scraping elements as required. The use of the device will be described in more detail below.

As discussed above, the handle 12 is elongate. When the handle 12 is held horizontally the cleaning head 14 angles downwardly with respect to the handlel2. This means that a user's hand is located above the level of the surface being cleaned in use of the device.

this helps to reduce the likelihood of mud and debris spraying onto a user's hand during use. Furthermore, the elongate handle 12 enables a user's hand to be located further from the cleaning head 14 than is possible when using a standard scrubbing brush, which is a tool commonly used in cleaning studded footwear. Again, this reduces the likelihood of mud and debris spraying onto a user's hand during use.

The handle 12 is ergonomically designed such that it is easy to hold and use with minimal effort. The handle 12 has a moulded thumb grip 26 on an upper surface, and a moulded finger hold 28 on a lower surface.

The end of the handle 12 remote from the cleaning head 14 is provided with some additional features to improve the usability of the device 10. Stud tighteners 30, 32 are integrally moulded into the handle 12. The stud tighteners 30, 32 shown in the Figs. represent two of the most common designs, but it will be clear that different stud tightener shapes and configurations could be incorporated as appropriate. Furthermore, a hanging hook 34 is provided on the handle 12 to facilitate easy storage if required.

Although it should be fairly self explanatory, the use of the device 10 will now be described with reference to the Figs. A user holds the handle 12 in one hand with the user's thumb being located in the thumb grip 26 on the upper surface of the handle 12, and the user's fingers being wrapped underneath and located in the fingers grips 28 on the underside of the handle 12. Holding the item of footwear to be cleaned in their other hand the user manoeuvres the device 10 such that a stud is positioned directly in front of the leading edge 24 of the cleaning head 14. The user begins by loosening any mud or debris from around the stud using the bevelled edge 24. Next, the user moves the device 10 forward towards the stud, such that the stud is received within the opening 18. The user now pushes the device 10 forward such that the bristles 16 flow over and around the stud and remove any remaining mud and debris. The bristles 16 on the arms 20, 22 pass around the sides of the stud, and the bristles 16 on the main portion of the cleaning head pass over and around the stud. The dimensions of the cleaning head 14 are such that individual studs may be targeted for cleaning. This ensures a quick and efficient clean of the sole of the footwear, while reducing the likelihood of mud being transferred to a user's hand. This is achieved by virtue of the position of the user's hand relative to the cleaning head 14. The bristles 16 can also be used to clean the top surface of the studded footwear as well.

Once the user has completed the task of cleaning the sole of the footwear the device 10 may be used to tighten/replace studs as appropriate, by reversing the device 10 in the user's hand and using the stud tighteners 30, 32 at the other end of the handle 12.

Claims

Claims 1. A cleaning device for studded footwear, comprising a handle and a cleaning head, the cleaning head comprising a plurality of bristles, wherein: the cleaning head defines an opening for receiving a stud of the studded footwear, and the bristles taper downwardly from a rear portion of the cleaning head towards a leading edge of the cleaning head.
2. A cleaning device according to claim 1, wherein the opening is in the leading edge of the cleaning head.
3. A cleaning device according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the leading edge is configured to provide a scraping surface.
4. A cleaning device according to claim 3, wherein the leading edge is bevelled.
5. A cleaning device according to claim 3, wherein the leading edge comprises a scraper element.
6. A cleaning device according to any preceding claim, wherein the handle is elongate.
7. A cleaning device according to claim 6, wherein the handle is angled upwardly away from the cleaning head, such that in use of the device the hand of the user is kept away from the surface being cleaned
8. A cleaning device according to any preceding claim, wherein the handle is provided with a contoured region to improve grip.
9. A cleaning device according to any preceding claim, wherein the handle is provided with at least one stud tightener at an end remote from the cleaning head.
10. A cleaning device according to any preceding claim, wherein the handle and cleaning head are moulded as a single piece of plastics material.
11. A cleaning device according to any one of claims 1-9, wherein the handle and cleaning head are moulded as separate pieces.
12. A cleaning device substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.